The warm breeze greeted me like a good friend as we stepped out from the airport. We went straight to get the car we rented and drove our way to the hotel. It’s our first time in Algarve (or Portugal for that matter) and our expectations were in a manageable degree. We don’t want to set ourselves up for disappointment even though we know it’s beautiful and all there. Still, there’s a sort of virtue when you’re not expecting anything.
Checking in the hotel went smoothly and the people manning the reception’s desk were very helpful. The only downside was that we couldn’t upgrade to a room with a sea view as the hotel was fully booked, so we just settled with the garden view. We quickly placed our stuff in our room and went out to immediately explore the hotel and its surroundings. My jaw dropped as soon as I saw the view. It was just like the photos we were ogling at online. A beach that stretches for kilometres flank with distinctive orange-red cliffs. A five-minute walk from the hotel using the stairs descending to the beach.
After taking some photos, we went back to our room and had a little rest before we headed out for dinner. We drove to Albufeira, which is the nearest city from the hotel. It took like fifteen minutes to drive there.
The city of Albufeira is quaint and lovely. Despite its size in terms of population and area, it exudes this kind of vibrancy. A festive mood cloaking the entire surface attributed to the throng of tourists in revelry.
To be continued…